The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals have come and gone, so it’s time to take a look back at the most memorable quotes the players had to offer.
Roger Federer: “I think my opponents are pretty happy when they play against me.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, on Daniil Medvedev: “Our chemistry definitely isn’t the best that you can find on the tour. It just happens with people that it’s not that you can just like everyone. It’s not that I hate him. As he said, we will not go to dinner together.”
Tsitsipas, on who is the toughest to play of the Big 3: “Rafa Nadal. That’s what everybody says.”
Medvedev, on recent Italian success in tennis: “I’m not working in the Italian Tennis Federation to explain why suddenly it’s like this.”
Nadal, after his loss to Alexander Zverev: “Sascha, well played. And me, bad played.”
Nadal, when asked if hitting too many short balls was a result of getting married: “Honestly, are you asking me this? Is a serious question or is a joke?… Doesn’t matter if you put a ring on your finger or not…. We move to Spanish, because that’s bullshit. Thank you very much.”
Federer: “It’s very hard nowadays to predict who is going to be good and who not so good. I didn’t predict Medvedev to have the year that he had. I didn’t predict (Matteo) Berrettini to have the year that he had.”
Federer, when asked about his strategy on break points against Berrettini: “Not to miss the serves like I did against (Dominic) Thiem.”
Novak Djokovic, after losing to Thiem: “He just played very courageous tennis and just smacking the ball. He went for broke. The entire match he played same way he played the last point. I have to put my hat down and congratulate him, because he just played a great match. I don’t think I have experienced too many matches like this where my opponent just goes for every single shot. I mean, he was unbelievable. In some stages it was just incredible that he was just literally smacking the ball as hard as he can and he was going in. His level was super high; this today was unbelievable…. He was taking every opportunity to smack the ball as hard as he can…. It was amazing. I have played him before; I know his game; but what he did tonight was just out of ordinary. I know that he can play [at] a high level, but tonight was just phenomenal.”
Thiem, after beating Djokovic: “Probably it was maybe the best match I ever played. It was a real classic and epic match. It had everything what a match like this needs. He was up. I was up. He was playing amazing points. Me, I was playing amazing points. And then I think the match deserved an end in the third-set tiebreak.”
Nadal, after coming back from 1-5, 30-40 down in the third set to beat Medvedev: “Daniil is super tough mentally.”
Nadal, when asked what he was thinking down match point: “What you think is probably in five minutes you are in the locker room.”
Nadal, on if his comeback against Medvedev should an example for younger players: “No, examples are not for one day. Examples are every day. The example is not the comeback, because the comeback is…of course you need to be there and you need to keep fighting…but the example, in my opinion, is not break a racket when you are (down) 5-1 in the third or not be out of your self-control when the things are not going the right way. Just staying positive, staying on court, accepting that the opponent is playing a little bit better than you and accepting that you are not that good. That’s the only example, no? Because sometimes the frustration comes when you believe and you consider yourself too good and you don’t accept the mistakes that you are doing. I know I can have mistakes and I normally accept it. That’s the only example that I can try to tell the guys: don’t consider [yourself] too good; accept the mistakes, because everybody have mistakes and you need to keep going after the mistakes. That’s the only way.”
Reporter asking the first question of Medvedev’s press conference following his loss to Nadal: “Do you have a sports psychologist?”
Medvedev: “When I was young I was completely crazy on the court. I couldn’t let myself miss one ball. I would throw the racket over the fence straightaway.”
Tsitsipas, during a discussion about semifinal qualification scenarios: “So math wasn’t my favorite subject at school. I struggled. I’ll be honest. Geography is my favorite one. I like traveling….”
Zverev, prior to his match against Medvedev: “Is he out? He’s out, right? No, he’s not out. He’s not out. If he wins in two….”
Reporter addressing Zverev: “Stefanos….”
Zverev, in response: “Did you just call me Stefanos?”
Zverev, on what he was doing when it looked like he was pushing buttons on something in his tennis bag during a changeover: “My phone was in the locker room, actually. I always leave it there. I don’t know what they saw, but it was definitely not a phone. Empty water bottle maybe?”
Marat Safin, captain of Russia’s ATP Cup team: “Hopefully we’re going to kick some ass.”
Thomas Muster, after Safin said he had nothing to add following a long answer by Muster: “Just don’t say anything.”
Djokovic, on Federer playing like he is at 38 years old: “Well, it motivates me; it shows me it’s possible (smiling). I have utmost admiration for him and everything he’s doing on the court. What he has achieved over the years and what he’s still showing on the court is phenomenal. He’s a role model even for me; I’m one of his rivals and (he is) one of the toughest opponents I had in my career. Looking at his career and what he still is doing, it just inspires you.”
Federer, on if his win over Djokovic erased Wimbledon demons: “They were never really there. There was some press guys that made that up.”
Federer, after clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking for Nadal by beating Djokovic: “I know he was there.”
Tim Henman, on the ATP Cup being his first kind of captaincy: “It might be my last, as well.”
Tsitsipas, after losing to Nadal but having already clinched a semifinal spot: “I would say I did leave something in the tank. I didn’t really go full, full. I could have gone even more full than that.”
Tsitsipas, on having no break points against Nadal: “I will need some advice from this guy over there (motions to Marcos Baghdatis). Best returner of all times.”
Medvedev, after losing to Zverev on what Zverev did differently from their match in Shanghai (which Medvedev won easily): “Yeah, he chose a different court probably 20 times faster.”
Zverev, on not playing Davis Cup: “I don’t think the format is Davis Cup anymore. I think Davis Cup is the most historic event that we have in tennis, which is over 100 years old. Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties. Davis Cup is the whole atmosphere, the play over three days to play five sets and play those tough matches. That’s Davis Cup for me; not playing it at one venue for one week and deciding it all. That’s not Davis Cup. Davis Cup is going to South America; Davis Cup is going to Australia, like I did when it was the proper Davis Cup. Yeah, I hope people realize that Davis Cup is more than just money and all that like they are offering us now. It’s history; it’s tennis history.”
Zverev, after being asked an extremely long question: “By the way, I’m playing tomorrow night. I still have to make (it to) the match.”
Zverev, on social media: “I’m not a massive social media guy. I kind of talk to people.”
Federer, on Tsitsipas’ mental toughness on break points: “Spinning it into the body and then getting an error…. Hmmm. I don’t know if that’s mental toughness.”
Tsitsipas, on Federer and Thiem: “Dominic has inspired me a lot to be a better version of myself when I’m out on the court. I see a lot of things that he does on the court and I try to do the same. Because, I have mentioned this before: what Roger does, only Roger does. It’s really difficult to copy what you see. So to me Dominic is more something normal, normal in a way that something that’s possible. Roger is an exceptional talent. We all know that. He has a very difficult game style to copy. So for me, Dominic has always been someone that I looked up to and wanted to…wanted always to play with the same intensity and the same will that he puts in the court. He puts a lot of effort and a lot of…I would just describe him as an intense player.”
Zverev, to a reporter who asked him about his mental strength: “I missed two overheads one meter away from the net. Honestly, I don’t know how much you play tennis, but I think you would have made those shots.”
Zverev: “I think next year will bring a new Grand Slam champion. We’ll see who that will be, because I think the young guys are playing incredible tennis.”
Thiem: “I still think so, that we see a new Grand Slam champion next year. It’s not 100 percent sure, of course, because the Big 3 are going to be still the favorites. But I think that in one or two events younger players will make a breakthrough.”
Thiem, on finishing the year No. 4 in the world: “It’s way nicer to go into a Grand Slam as a fourth seed than as a fifth seed, because…everybody knows why.”
Thiem, on tennis: “It’s probably mentally the most brutal sport existing.”
Tsitsipas: “Now that I’m a champion, I don’t know how to explain it. I honestly don’t feel anything, because it’s too many emotions to feel something. So it’s horrific, in a way, to be holding this trophy.”
Tsitsipas, on how he found inspiration again after losing it this summer: “That’s a question you’re going to see probably next week. I’ll v-log this thing.”
whats your favorite?
The reporter asking Medvedev if he has a sports psychologist after that loss against Rafa was rubbing salt in freshly exposed wounds.
Also Rafa v Ubaldo part 567.
Nadal and the marriage question, Zverev saying he had a match to play after long question.
Federer: “Rafa was there.” Well, if he say so…”
Roger speaks much better English than Rafa, right? So why is it I can always understand what Rafa’s saying while Roger often leaves me wondering what he’s talking about?
I honestly cannot say which is my favorite quote. Probably Rafa vs. Ubi, because Rafa telling someone in no uncertain terms that he is talking bullshit, is as rare as a blue Mauritius☺
Did Roger suggest that Rafa’s ghost was there and helped him clinching the first win over the Djoker since 2015??? Or did he want to give Rafa a belated wedding present by handing him the year-end No 1 trophy? Or did Roger think that Rafa catching up with him and Novak was preferable to Novak besting Roger’s personal record of five WTF trophies😉? At least many of Roger’s fans seem to favorite the latter…
And I sincerely hope that Stefanos’ horror of holding the WTF trophy in his arms, has subsided by now. Was he horrified because he was aware of Murray, Dimi and Zverev having had bad seasons after winning the trophy? Or is he still not ready to cope mentally with his meteoric rise to tennis stardom within just two years? I wish him all the best and hope that he will do well in the upcoming season.
Whatever, I feel that 2020 will be a good year for tennis!
Roger also has his weeks at #1 record to protect. Novak’s a bigger threat to that than Rafa is. Of course I think Roger’s real motivation was simply that he wanted to win the thing one more time. It’s a Big Title (Masters’ + WTF count) and Roger’s a little weak on those compared to Novak and Rafa.
I love the quotes! These guys are simply adorable! I enjoyed every single one, but my favorite of course is Tsitsipas answering: “ Rafa Nadal! That’s what everybody says” 😃
Roger Federer: “I think my opponents are pretty happy when they play against me.”
Does Roger think this is a compliment?
Rafa: stay positive, and keep fighting!
I also liked Zverev’s diatribe against the revamped Davis Cup competition. I understand why changes were needed. But I have many great memories of great DC matches. I especially liked that one nation hosted the meeting and could chose the surface while the opponents were guests and had to cope with the conditions and the partisan spectators. When the hosts were the underdogs they had a good chance nevertheless – or not: I remember a Davis Cup meeting between Switzerland and Germany at the age before Federer and when Stich and Becker were still active. Since those two had always difficulties on clay the Swiss choose to install an indoor clay court. The consequence was that the German team captain didn’t nominate Becker and Stich but their second tier players because they were quite competent on clay. Switzerland lost the meeting and lamented that the Germans had outwitted them 😉
As it is now, will we ever have DC matches on clay or grass again?? The contest will be less diverse from now on.
yep that was good by Zverev
Agree. GB v Belguim on indoor clay (Murray v Goffin) was one that stands out.
Yes, I’m going to miss the old format too. The 5 set epics, heroics by unknown players, varied surfaces, the rabid home crowd support and smaller but fervent fan support for the away team. At least Tennis Channel covered some of it back then. As I understand it this guy that’s taken it over has guaranteed the ITF the money they want so we may be stuck with this new format for awhile.
Ramara and Big Al, I will definitely miss the old Davis Cup. I loved it and have many great memories and outrageous stories! In 1995 the Russian hosted one semifinal in Moscow against Germany and then the final against the US. The Germans with Becker and Stich were clear favorites, but the tricky Russians installed a super slow clay court and drenched it in water for good measure. And the German team got subsequently stuck in the mud – or rather Stich got stuck and the Germans never forgave him. In the decisive match he squandered umpteen matchpoints against a lowly ranked Russian. I was really very annoyed because if Germany had won, the final would’ve been Becker and Stich against the US with Sampras, Agassi, Todd Martin and Jim Courier. And it would’ve taken place in my home town. This would’ve been a marvellous opportunity to watch all these superstars in live action. Oh well, in the final the Russians again tried the same trick with a super wet clay court against the US. But it didn’t work – mainly because of Sampras’ heroics, who was suddenly inspired to play a couple of great matches on clay, and he won the cup almost singlehandedly for the US.
I have many other great memories, and the best-of-five format was one of the main attractions. But I also understand that something had to be done in order make the competition physically less taxing and to attract the top players again. We will see if this new format will work. As you say, we are probably stuck with it for a while.
littlefoot AT 10:34 PM;
Zverev is lying. He wants to earn millions by playing exhibition matches in South America this week, instead of playing the Davis Cup for nothing.
Earlier this year, Zverev joined Fed’s management agency and because of that he’ll play exhibition matches against Fed in Santiago, Bogota, Mexico City and Quito this week. Repordedly, Fed will pocket £8million in six days from exhibition matches. I don’t know how many millions Zverev will make.
Why should Zverev lie? We can’t know that for sure . You could as well argue that he doesn’t want to bother with this new revamped DC format and therefore he prefers to earn good money by playing exhibitions with Fed. Good for him. But I think that something else comes into play in Zverev’s case: although he was born in Germany, he has Russian parents and could as well have chosen to play for Russia. The Russian connections of the Zverev family are still strong. However, the Zverev family prefered to stay in Germany because the conditions were better. But I suspect that Zverev doesn’t have the same emotional connections with a specific country as other players have who pictured themselves as Davis Cup heroes when they were young.
Whatever – I think that Zverev explained very well the long tradition and merits of what used to be the magic of Davis Cup in the past.
Rafas marraige quote was my personal favourite , the press really ask some stupid questions sometimes ….
On a side note, i think its unlikely Rafa will win the WTFs, but i think Rafa will equal or even surpass Federer in GS count, i think Federers other records weeks at number 1 will remain safe from Rafa, although i think Novak could get very close, i think Federer needs a favour at the FO from somebody as Rafa will always be favourite there, likewise Novak at the AO, although the same applies if those roles were reversed, Federers best chance would be another Wimbledon title, dont see him winning another USO as he hasnt won that since 2008, and hasnt even made the final, having said that its the most open of all the GS , tme will tell, next year will be interesting, my thoughts 🙂